Skin Deep
by instantlygratified
Summary: Alternate Universe.  What if Miley Stewart wasn't Hannah Montana?  What if she were completely different?  Scarred by an accident, Miley is timid, meek, shy.  Then, she moves to Malibu, and meets someone who changes her for the better.  Femslash.
1. Prologue

**Skin Deep**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with Hannah Montana or Disney. I own my imagination...and very little after that.**

_**Author's Note: First timer here by way of fanfiction and Hannah Montana. I hope y'all like it. It's a femslash fiction. If that isn't your cup of tea, turn back now.**_

Prologue:

"But don't tell my heart...my achy breaky heart...I just don't think it'd understand..." ten-year-old Miley Stewart belted out just a tone louder than the radio. Her mother, Trisha Stewart, pretended to sing along with her, and stole small glances at her happy-go-lucky daughter as they drove down the darkened roads of Tennessee.

As the radio continued to blare on, Miley turned to her mother and smiled. "Was Daddy singing about you when he wrote this Momma?"

Trisha laughed and smiled. "No darlin."

"Then who is he talkin bout?"

Trisha shrugged and shook her head slightly. She knew full well that Robbie Ray was singing about Delia Adams, the girl that broke his heart a full six months before she and Robbie met. But that was another story for a later date. She had no idea where Miley got her questions.

The song ended and the radio jockey came on. "That was a classic hit by Tennessee's own Robbie Ray Stewart--"

At the mention of Robbie's name, both Miley and her mother hooted. It was a fun game they had developed a while ago. Whenever Robbie's name came up on the radio while they were in the car, the girls would scream as loud as they could, as if cheering him on.

"...recording an album that's due out soon. Look for it on the shelves folks."

Robbie Ray had been working on an album for four solid months, and was nearly done. He spent long hours in the studio, working as hard as he could to get the album done on time, and Miley and Trisha were on their way to make a surprise visit. Trisha had tried to get her twelve-year-old son Jackson to come along, but he had hit that rough patch where going anywhere with, "Mom and Sis" was completely uncool.

Jackson's seventh grade wisdom had logically concluded that Robbie Ray would still be around in the morning, and Jackson would hang out with him then. School was over, summer had just begun, and Robbie Ray never went into the studio earlier than eleven. Jackson figured he would just fit his father between waking up and going out to play with his friends and that was enough for him.

So Trisha and Miley were alone, at nine o'clock at night, in the car, driving toward the studio, hoping to surprise Robbie and hopefully get him to take a much needed and deserved break.

"You think Daddy'll be surprised to see us?" Miley asked, looking at her mother, who turned to look at her daughter and smile.

"Oh, I think he'll be very surprised."

"And he'll be happy?"

"Yes baby, very--"

Trisha noticed the brightness of the oncoming car's headlights before Miley did, and returned her eyes to the road. Miley followed her mother's gaze just seconds before it connected.

The windshield shattered on impact, and exploded inward.

Miley screamed.

Then, the world went black.


	2. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note: Whenever you see something in italics...that means you're reading the character's thoughts. It shouldn't be too confusing._**

**_P.S. Sorry if they seem out of character. I'm trying my hardest to stay true to character, but it is an alternate universe you know...they aren't going to be exactly the same._**

Chapter 1

**Five years later...**

A dark blue sports convertible pulled up to a fairly large, white Malibu beach house, with a large U-Haul truck right behind it.

Robbie Ray grunted as he undid his seatbelt buckle, and turned to the back to look at his children. Jackson was asleep, his face squished against the side of the car, his headphones practically smashed into his ear. Miley was looking at her hands, tracing the small white scars along her left hand with her right forefinger.

"We're here." He stated in his slow southern drawl, and Miley looked up. The hair fell away from her face, revealing the long jagged scar that ran from forehead to chin down the left side of her face. It zigzagged from her hairline to above her eyebrow, over her eye, and then smoothed out, curving around her cheek before ending at her jawbone. It was an ugly pinkish brown, and it left Miley meek, timid, and self-conscious for the last five years. What was once his bright and shiny little girl was now a whispering ghost. She was pale, she almost never talked above a whisper, and she never, ever, looked anyone in the eye...not even Robbie.

Of course, if she had, he wouldn't know what to do with himself. The last time he had stared his daughter in the face and hadn't felt a tremendous guilt and sadness was the morning of the accident. He had lifted her up and kissed her on the cheek, smiling as her blue eyes shimmered with delight.

"Have a good day at the studio Daddy." Miley had said, and Robbie had told her he would.

He had been recording an album...an album he hadn't finished.

It had been five years now, and he was hoping that moving from Tennessee to Malibu, California would help him move on. The family needed a change, they needed to take in the life that California seemed to possess. And Robbie needed to escape from a place that constantly reminded him of his late wife. He hoped, he prayed that there would be a place somewhere in Malibu that he could go that wouldn't remind him of her face. That there was a smell that didn't remind him of her perfume, or a sound that wouldn't remind him of her voice.

He didn't want to forget her...no, never...he just needed to not be reminded of her absence every second of every day.

He came to Malibu hoping to finish the album he started over five years ago. After the accident, he was neither in the right emotional place or state of mind to finish. A studio in Los Angeles had contacted him six months ago, wanting to take him on, help him finish his album, and then start some comeback touring. Robbie agreed, hoping his fans hadn't forgotten him, and that they would welcome his comeback with open arms. Plus, the potential income wouldn't hurt. It wasn't as if the Stewart Family were strapped for cash. Robbie Ray and Trisha had saved up wisely, and the family had enough to live comfortably for quite some time. But it wasn't going to last forever, Robbie Ray knew that. He hoped his album would sell.

He had a lot of hopes.

As he stepped out of the car and took in the size of his new home, all he could think about what how his wife would never, ever, think of living in a house of this proportion. And he sighed.

Miley stepped out of the car and squinted as she took in the front of the house. "It's big." She murmured, and Robbie nodded, putting an arm around Miley's shoulders.

"Yeah, but on the bright side, we all get our own bathrooms."

Jackson woke up at the sound of the car door slamming, and sat up. He rolled his eyes and jumped over the closed door, pulling his headphones off.

"So, son, what do ya think of the place?" Robbie Ray asked.

Jackson didn't answer. Instead, he put his headphones back on, turned his walkman up loud, and walked down toward the beach.

Robbie Ray sighed again. Jackson hardly ever talked, and when he did, it was almost always out of anger. He wouldn't admit it, but Jackson felt guilty for not being in the car. For some weird reason, Jackson thought that being the car with his mother and sister would've changed what happened. Robbie Ray knew that it wasn't true, and deep down, even Jackson knew it, but he wasn't ready to face it.

They had all been changed. All for the worse.

Robbie Ray hoped that this change would be for the better, but it wasn't starting out very well.

-----------------------------------

The movers had worked quickly, and by nightfall, the family had been settled in. Jackson had disappeared for a few hours by the beach, but returned just after dark, mumbling something about getting lost. They had ordered Chinese food, and soon after, decided to settle into their new bedrooms for the night.

Miley was sitting in the middle of her new bed, in her new bedroom, Indian style, reading a magazine she had picked up at the airport. As she flipped through the pages, there was a knock at the door. She knew it was her father before he opened the door. Robbie Ray made it a habit to see his daughter off to bed. She couldn't recall if he had ever done it before the accident, but could remember very clearly that he did it the first night she had returned home from the hospital, and every night after.

"Hey bud, just coming in to say goodnight."

Miley offered a small fake smile to her father, and put the magazine on her nightstand. Robbie sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. "So, you ready to start school tomorrow?"

Miley nodded slightly, but in reality, was completely terrified. She knew how the kids at school would be. After the initial shock of her appearance wore off, they would taunt her relentlessly. They'd call her "Scarface" or "Quasimodo," and the rumors would spread like wildfire.

Insane stories about biker clubs and knife fights, or bear attacks, or God-knows whatever else the bratty rich-kids of Malibu would come up with. Miley fought long and hard to disappear into the background in Tennessee. Now she would be at the forefront again, and she dreaded it.

"I know you're nervous." Robbie Ray said, putting a comforting hand on his daughter's knee. "But we're all a little afraid of what the future's gonna hold for us here."

Miley nodded, understanding. _But you don't look like a hideous monster. Nobody's going to stare and point and laugh at you_. "I know." She whispered, looking down at her hands.

Robbie moved the hair away from Miley's eyes and put his hand on her face. "I know you're gonna be out for a tough time tomorrow Miles, and every day I wish I could do something ta change it, but--"

Miley moved her face away from her father's comforting hand. "I know Daddy. It'll be okay. I'l be fine...I mean, I got Jackson right?"

Robbie rolled his eyes. "Right. He'll be there if you need anything, and you know you can always call me, right?"

"I do."

Robbie Ray stood, feeling a little better about the whole situation. "Good. I'm ah...I'm gonna let you get to bed. It's gonna be an early day tomorrow. So, goodnight darlin." He leaned over and kissed his daughter on the forehead, running a hand over her hair.

"Night." Miley replied, pulling her covers back and slipping her feet beneath them.

Robbie made it all the way to the door before turning back. "Miles, I know Malibu's a big change, but I think if we just stick together and give it a chance, it won't be so bad, huh?"

Miley nodded, but she already knew it was going to be bad.

She hated Malibu.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Author's note: Thanks soooo much for the kind reviews. They really help. I thought you guys would say it "sucked" or something, but you didn't. All of your reviews were positive. I enjoyed reading them. Plus, they gave me this kind of charge, if you will. They make me want to write more. I mean, I'm not a review whore or anything. I find it annoying when authors refuse to write unless they've gotten a certain amount of reviews. That leaves the other readers hanging. I'm not like that. I write for whoever feels like reading...even if it's only me. :)**_

_**Okay, on with the story. Hope you enjoy.**_

Chapter 2

Robbie Ray pulled up to Seaview High School and Jackson immediately jumped out. Miley scrambled out to catch up. She at least wanted to keep her hideousness a secret until homeroom, and figured hiding behind her brother would be the best way to do it.

"HAVE A...good...day." Robbie Ray started to yell, but ended up just whispering instead. He watched Jackson stalk off with Miley trailing behind him, almost visibly hiding. _Please God, just let them treat her right. Please._ Robbie drove off, hoping against hope that when Miley came home that day, she would say she had a "good day" at school. Jackson he didn't worry about so much, and Robbie knew that it wasn't fair, but Miley was so much more delicate than he was. He just hoped Jackson would look out for Miley, like he wasn't doing at the moment.

As Robbie headed to work, he resigned himself to the fact that there was nothing more he could do...but hope.

------------------------------

The secretary at the main office had been nice enough. She handed Miley her program with the biggest fake smile she could muster, and Miley was grateful that she only flinched once when staring at her.

Jackson didn't seem to care either way. He snatched the program from the woman's hands and was out the door before Miley could even utter a "thank you."

As they walked through the hallway, Miley tried to make conversation, if only to keep from throwing up. "So, when do you have lunch?"

"Don't know."

"I have lunch fifth period...little late in the day." Miley mumbled, looking at her program.

"Don't care." Jackson answered.

"Well...will I see you there?"

"Don't count on it." Jackson said, and slapped his headphones on, making a sharp left, leaving Miley in the middle of a crowded hallway, all by herself.

"Christ..." She mumbled, looking down so her face would be covered by her hair. She weaved through the halls with ease (having expertly mastered the art of walking while looking down years ago), glancing at the locker numbers every so often to make sure she was going the right way. When she reached her locker, she glanced at the combination number on her program and tried it. It didn't open. She tried again...nothing. And again...nothing. She looked at the locker number. She was in the right place. So, she tried again...nope.

Oliver Oscar Oken was talking to one of his buddies in the hallway when he noticed a girl he'd never seen before. "Smokin' Oken" was familiar with all of the ladies in Seaview from sophomore up, and hoped that the girl wasn't a freshman...because from the back, she was totally hot. She seemed to be having trouble with her locker, and he was more than willing to help. "Oooh...fresh meat." Oliver whispered to his buddies, and they laughed. "And by the looks of it, Grade A choice prime rib. Let's see if she can handle a little 'Smokin' Oken," he said as he sauntered over.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice you were having trouble with your locker. Well, never fear. The doctor is in the house." He said, trying his best to sound smooth. The girl looked at him nervously, staring at him through the veil of her hair.

When Oliver addressed her, Miley thought she was going to jump out of her skin. She did her best to hide her face while Oliver openly flirted and hoped he would take her silence as a cue to leave her alone.

He laughed nervously when she didn't answer and tapped on the locker a few times, making it pop open with ease. "It's all in the wrists." He joked, and hoped she would laugh, or at the very least look at him, so he wouldn't look like a fool in front of his friends.

"Uh...thanks." Miley mumbled, throwing her books inside. She slammed the locker shut and walked away, hoping that he would forget he ever saw her.

Oliver watched Miley walk away, completely puzzled by what had just transpired. "I'm Oliver...by the way." He said to Miley as she walked away. _What the hell's her problem? _One of his buddies walked up to him and slapped him on the back.

"Ouch...that hurt just to watch." And then everyone else laughed.

Oliver was about to retort when the school bell rang, signaling the beginning of homeroom. He decided to save his comeback for later, and rushed off to class, wondering about the new girl and what exactly her problem was.

-------------------------------

Miley practically ran to her classroom and found a seat way in the back, hoping to God that the teacher wouldn't announce her presence. If he didn't, maybe she would just blend in and fade away into the background, a place she found most comfortable nowadays.

Oliver jogged into class and into his seat, looking around. His friend Lilly wasn't there yet, but his buddy Malcolm was.

"Hey Oken, fresh meat in the back."

Oliver turned to see the girl from the hallway. "Yeah, we've met already."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I opened up her locker. We talked."

Malcolm was clearly unimpressed. "Oh yeah? What's her name then?"

"Uh...it's..."

Mr. Corelli shuffled to the front of the classroom, ready for another humdrum day. For another day of trying to reach out to the students and staring at a sea of empty faces. For another day of counting down the minutes until lunch and then counting down the minutes to the end of the day after. "All right class, open your books to page...ooohhh!" _Finally, a little variety._

A note on his desk exclaimed there was a new girl in class. "Well, class, it seems as though a stranger is in our midst...we have a new student...come all the way from Tennessee." He looked down at the note, squinting. "Miley...Stewart, please stand up."

"Miley. I knew that." Oliver said, and Malcolm rolled his eyes.

The second Miley heard Mr. Corelli exclaim, "ooh" in surprise and delight, her heart constricted. Then, to make matters worse, he called her name and asked her to stand. Her breathing wavered and she very reluctantly stood. _Might as well show them now...get it over with._

"Ah yes, there you...are." Mr. Corelli exclaimed excitedly, until he saw her whole face. He tried his best to remain indifferent, but it wasn't every day one saw a scar of that magnitude. He gulped, regretting making her stand. He could clearly see now that he was hurting her more than helping her.

Oliver turned to Malcolm and said, "Face it man, you're just jealous because I talked to her first." He could see Malcolm wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, he was gaping at the girl, so he turned to see what the fuss was about. "And she is soooo...not...hot."

He didn't mean for it to come out so loudly.

The class laughed, and Miley cringed. Mr. Corelli did his best to quiet them down, but it was no use. Once the laughter died down, the class erupted into hoarse, loud, whisper. They stared, they pointed, they giggled...they did everything Miley knew they would do. And at once, she knew she wasn't going to have an easy time in Malibu.

Though it seemed like forever, it was only a few minutes. Miley looked at Mr. Corelli pleadingly, hoping he would let her sit. Mr. Corelli was too busy trying to quiet the class down to see her look.

Suddenly, there was a flash of blonde hair and a crash, and the class was laughing at something else. Miley took their distraction as an opportunity to sit and disappear again.

"Miss Truscott," Mr. Corelli sternly addressed Lilly, secretly grateful for her distraction as well. "How many times do I have to tell you not to skate into class?"

Lilly stood up, removing the helmet from her head, letting her strawberry blonde hair flow over her shoulders. "Sorry Mr. Corelli, but I didn't want to be later than I already am. I figure, what better way to show you that I care than to rush in here without even stopping by my locker?"

"That's sweet Miss Truscott, but there are several fatal flaws to your theory. One: you hate this class and two: you're still five minutes late. Now take a seat."

The second Miley looked at Lilly she was fascinated. There was a girl she saw as strong, courageous, and obviously confident. She carried herself well, but didn't seem obnoxious or arrogant. Miley wondered if Lilly would ever notice her, but then remembered she didn't want anyone to notice her. Still, she couldn't look away.

Lilly smiled and shrugged, plopping down next to Oliver. "Hey," she whispered at him, while he tried not to continue to stare at Miley. "What'd I miss?"

"Uh...new girl. From Tennessee...not really the ten I see...unless you like the mangled look." Oliver said, not so discreetly pointing at Miley.

Lilly turned to the back and looked, and was immediately taken aback by the girl's beauty. She smiled in Miley's direction, but Miley didn't smile back. She just looked down. Confused, Lilly looked back at Oliver, and then remembered what he just said. "Jesus, can you be a little more insensitive you damn doughnut?"

"What?" Oliver asked defensively, but was interrupted by Mr. Corelli.

"All right, now that we've all settled down, let's try to learn something. Open your books to chapter seven..."

As Mr. Corelli droned on, Lilly couldn't help but turn around to look at the new girl in the back. _She looks so lonely, and so...beautiful._ She did have a scar, but it wasn't all that bad. Plus, Lilly wasn't one to care about crap like that. She had a feeling though that the only type of people Miley dealt with were those that did care. Well, she was going to change that. Today, at lunch, she was going to introduce herself and hopefully, make a friend.

_Why does she keep staring at me?_ Miley could feel the heat of Lilly's stare from across the room. _Am I that frightening that she has to keep looking?_ She sank lower in her chair, but didn't dare meet Lilly's gaze. She knew that if she did, there would be some sort of taunting later. It always happened that way. _Just keep going, just keep breathing. It will all be over before you know it._ Miley thought to herself.

If only that were true.


	4. Chapter 3

**_Author's Note: Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. You guys are freakin awesome._**

Chapter 3

By the time fifth period rolled around, Miley wanted to throw herself off the school roof. She hadn't been in school four hours and already she had supposedly been in a knife fight, a bear mauling, a mountain lion mauling, and apparently had escaped a mental institution and joined a gang whose initiation ritual included carving up one's face.

Everywhere she went they pointed. They whispered. They gaped, or looked away quickly. Some students even looked at her in sympathy, which really hurt the most. She hated sympathy stares.

She went to her locker and grabbed her lunch, a turkey sandwich and an apple, and headed to the cafeteria. The cafeteria was like a zoo. Students roamed everywhere with little to no supervision. There was running, squealing, fighting (playful and not so playful), teasing, gossiping, etc. And in typical high school fashion, every clique had their table.

There were the beautiful people.

The jocks.

The cheerleaders.

The bullies.

The rock stars and their groupies.

The stoners.

The super-smart.

The losers.

The loners.

The high school band.

And the invisibles.

Miley tried to find a seat way off in the corner, but it was taken by a boy whose head looked like a snow globe burst on it. So, she set herself down by the garbage can. Not exactly prime seating, but nobody was around, so she didn't complain.

Before she could even put her lunch bag on the table, someone was sliding on the bench across from her and pushing a soda her way. She looked up and inwardly gasped. It was the girl that skated into her homeroom this morning.

"Hey, hope you like Pepsi." The girl said and extended her hand. "I'm Lilly. You're Miley, right?"

Miley very hesitantly took Lilly's hand in her own and shook it, nodding her head. She involuntarily looked down, making her hair cover her face. It was habit by now. She quickly pulled her hand from Lilly's and stared down into nothing. She couldn't bring herself to look Lilly in the eyes. She didn't want to see the sympathy she was sure was there. _That's the only reason she's here...she feels sorry for me._

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Lilly spoke up. "Ahem...um...I'm not sure if they have Formica lunch tables in Tennessee, but they really aren't that interesting. Hey...what are you looking at?" Lilly stood up and leaned forward to see if Miley was reading something off the table, or looking at a book in her lap or something.

Miley closed her eyes and silently groaned. _Jesus this girl is persistent. Why can't they just leave me alone?_ She slowly and begrudgingly looked up at Lilly, and was quite surprised when she didn't find sympathy splashed across the girl's face. There was curiosity, a bit of mild puzzlement, and a hint of another emotion that Miley couldn't place, but sympathy wasn't there. And neither was disgust, or morbid interest, or repulsion. Lilly was looking at her as if her scar wasn't even there.

"Ah, there you are." Lilly said, resting her chin on one hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Miley mumbled and Lilly smiled.

"So, you have Mr. Corelli for homeroom huh? You like him?"

Miley shrugged, slowly chewing on her sandwich. "He's not bad, I guess."

"He's actually pretty cool once you get to know him. No matter how many times I skate into his class, he never calls my mom. Actually, I think he likes when I do that, but he'll never admit it." Lilly seemed to gush all in one breath.

Miley just looked at Lilly in wonderment. She just had to ask. "Why are you talking to me?"

Lilly didn't miss a beat. "Because you're new, and it's been a long time since there's been any new faces around here."

Miley scoffed. "My face isn't exactly picture perfect."

"I don't see anything wrong with your face." Lilly said, and Miley scoffed for a second time. "Actually...I kinda think you're beautiful."

Miley didn't know how to respond to that. She could feel her cheeks burn up and looked away in embarrassment. She had never been called, "beautiful" by anyone other than her father. It was nice...and quite alarming. _What is up with this girl?_ Because she didn't know what to say, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Yeah right."

"No, really." Lilly insisted. "You've got that whole, natural beauty thing going on. That's a rarity in Malibu, the plastic-surgery capital of the world." Lilly could feel herself rambling on, something she always did around people she was attracted to.

She wasn't sure why, but Miley had began to feel anger at Lilly's insistance on her so-called "beauty." Plus, she was acting as if Miley's face didn't have a giant, ugly scar running down the side of it. She lifted her hair back to fully expose the hideous deformity, pointing at it while she spoke. "What about this? You call this natural beauty?"

"Everyone has scars Miley." Lilly replied calmly. "Like, check me out, for instance." She rolled up her left arm sleeve, exposing a long, nasty pink scar running from the middle of her forearm to her elbow. "Got this two years ago trying to do a 720 on the half pipe. Broke my arm in three places. I had to have metal pins set in my wrist. They'll be in there forever."

"And this," She lifted up her bangs, exposing a nice sized scar running through her right eyebrow, effectively slicing it in half. "I got this six months ago when I did an ollie off the curb and hit the bumper of a car. Took nine stitches to close it up." She let her hair fall back across her forehead again and set her arms on the table. "See, we're not so different."

Miley looked at Lilly in disbelief. _Does she think we're the same? Her face is still intact._ "Look, Lilly, I don't know why you came over here--"

"No reason."

"But I'd rather just be alone...if you don't mind."

Lilly looked at Miley, eyebrows raised. She sat up straighter, putting her hands up in defeat. She knew when she wasn't wanted. "All right, but I think you've gotten too used to being alone. If you ever want someone to talk to, I'll be here." As she got up, a voice called out to her, and Miley rolled her eyes.

_Will it never end?_

"Oh look, Ashley, it's Lilly the Lesbo." Amber said sweetly as they sauntered over to the table in unison, as if they were attached at the hip.

Ashley looked down at Miley, who had resumed her earlier position of looking at the table. "You're the new girl right? Beware, you're dining with the resident carpet muncher."

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you Ashley?" Lilly said sweetly, with a hint of truth in her voice.

"As if Truscott. You wish."

"In your dreams maybe." Amber replied.

"And in my nightmares." Ashley continued, and then became bored with Lilly. She instead turned her attentions to Miley, to see if she could get a rise out of her. "And what's your story? Were you attacked by a bear?"

"Or a dog?" Amber added.

"I heard it was a gopher." Ashley said and both girls laughed.

Miley felt the bile rise in her throat and tears sting her eyes. She hated listening to them laugh at her, but at the same time, what could she do? She contemplated running away, when Lilly decided to speak up.

"That's enough." Miley heard Lilly say under her breath, moving to put herself between Miley and the girls. "Ladies, isn't it time to reapply? I think I can see traces of original skin on your forehead. Don't wanna let people know you're not made of plastic, do you?"

"Bite me." Both girls spat venomously, and then flip-flopped, smiling. "Ooohh! Tssst." They said, brining their pointer fingers together.

"Maybe later." Lilly countered, winking at Ashley, who gagged.

"You're disgusting." Amber said, visibly shuddering, but all the while, eying Ashley suspiciously.

Miley glanced through her hair at Lilly, who stood defiantly before them. She had never seen such bravery, nor had she ever had anyone defend her without question before. _The girl was something else._ She was snapped out of her internal reverie by a harsh Californian accent and a long brown finger being waved in her direction.

"A word to the wise new girl, disappear, do not find your way into our radar." Amber warned.

"Or we will be forced to destroy you." Ashley finished, and both girls walked off.

"Bitches." Lilly muttered, shaking her head. She looked at Miley, who still hadn't looked up from the table. "Sorry about that." When Miley didn't respond, Lilly began to walk away.

"Wait." Miley said hoarsely, and Lilly turned, smiling.

She eagerly jumped back onto the bench and plopped her head into her hands. "Yeah?"

Miley looked up at her. "Thanks...for trying to defend me."

"No problem." Lilly said. "Besides, it was my fault they noticed you."

Miley shrugged it off. _Well, they answered my earlier question as to why you're talking to me. I think. I guess, I would assume it's because you like me...but even that's a little improbable. _"So...you're...gay huh?" Miley had never talked to a gay person before.

Lilly shook her head. "Actually no. I'm not gay."

Miley nodded. _There goes that theory._ "Oh."

"I'm bisexual."

_That's new_. "Huh?"

"Oh, I like boys...and girls. I'm attracted to both." Lilly rolled her eyes. "I know, it sounds like I'm having my cake and eating it too, but honestly I'm not. I don't find every guy and girl I see attractive...just the ones I like. And it's not like I have a boyfriend and a girlfriend at the same time...I wish." She laughed, trying to lighten the mood. Miley didn't seem to find it as funny. "Actually...I don't have either. Uh...neither. cough Ahem, uh...single. I'm...I'm still single." _Christ, could you be any more of a loser?_ Lilly mentally berated herself.

"I see." Miley said, even though she really didn't. _Bisexual...I'm gonna have to look into that more_. "So...uh...who were those girls?"

"Oh, you mean Tweedlebitch and Tweedlebitchier? That was Amber and Ashley, reigning Queens of Seaview High. They rule with an iron fist, and blow with a perfectly lip-glossed mouth." Lilly rolled her eyes, but then looked at Miley. "But I must tell you, they mean business about the destroying you thing. So I'd stay low for a while."

Miley agreed, but didn't want to show her weakness. "What about you?"

"Oh, I can handle my own with them. I've got leverage."

"What's that?"

Lilly looked around to see if any unwanted people were within earshot. When she assumed it was safe, she put one hand to the side of her mouth and whispered. "I hooked up with Ashley once last summer at a friend's party."

Miley looked both disgusted and surprised. Not that Lilly had kissed a girl, but that she had kissed one that seemed so...evil. "Why?"

"She came looking for me." Lilly stated defensively. "I think she was drunk, and I was hanging out in Oliver's...that's my friend...bedroom because I was bored. Anyway, she stumbled in, rambling something about wanting to kiss me for the longest time. I was so shocked I just let it happen. I instantly hated myself for it, but life goes on, right? Anyway, Ashley begged me to keep my mouth shut, and I did...which was stupid...because she still rips into me whenever she can. Case in point, two minutes ago...but I also have ammo of my own now, so it' all good."

_This girl squawks faster than a rooster on crack._ Miley felt a smirk break onto her face and a warm feeling wash over her body. She couldn't remember the last time she genuinely smiled before, and it felt good. What was even better, was that she was making friends with someone...someone who didn't care about what she looked like. Someone who wasn't constantly distracted by her scar. Someone she could sort of relate to.

When Lilly saw Miley smile, her heart swelled and then melted. "Wow." She breathed. "You have a great smile."

"Thanks." Miley said. "Uh...yours ain't so bad either."

"Thanks!" Lilly said cheerily and popped open her soda can, Miley following suit.

Soon, they were chatting like they had known each other forever, and before they knew it, they were exchanging emails, cell phone numbers and locker combinations.

Then, lunch was over, but it didn't matter. Lilly had the same last three classes with Miley, and even offered to walk Miley home after school.

------------------------------------

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Lilly and Miley ran out as fast as they could, glad to be away from that hell hole. Holding her skateboard under one arm and her helmet in the other, Lilly walked side by side with Miley, talking about different teachers and classes, dishing all the gossip she could recall, and telling Miley all of the secret spots and unguarded exits she discovered in case they ever wanted to skip out early.

When they reached Miley's house, Lilly gasped with delight.

"What?" Miley asked, wondering why her house made Lilly so happy.

"This is so cool, you live three houses down from me!"

"Really?" Miley asked, beginning to feel the excitement Lilly was feeling.

"Yeah, you live at 619, I live at 627. Awesome!" (Note: The houses on their side of the street are odd numbers only.)

"You wanna come in?" Miley asked, and Lilly nodded.

When they stepped inside, Robbie Ray was in the kitchen, making an afternoon snack. "Hey bud, how was your day at..." He turned around to see something he thought he would never see again. A smiling Miley. And a girl...a friend. _A friend._ He tried his best to retain some composure. "Well, who do we have here?"

"Daddy, this is Lilly Truscott. Lilly, this is my dad, Robbie Ray--"

"Stewart." Lilly finished, nodding her head. She clumsily dropped her skating gear on the floor. "I know you." Lilly turned to Miley and whispered, "Why didn't you mention your dad was a huge country star?" She turned back to Robbie Ray and said, "My mom and I are huge fans. Wait till she hears that Robbie Ray Stewart is living on our block. She'll flip!" Lilly gushed, shaking Robbie Ray's hand. "Nice to meet you Mr. Stewart."

Robbie Ray laughed and shook Lilly's hand earnestly. "Well, Lilly, the pleasure's all mine, especially now that I know you're a fan."

Miley shook her head and threw her bag down. "Lilly and I are gonna go up to my room and do some homework, okay?"

Robbie looked at his daughter and nodded, releasing Lilly's hand. "Sure bud. Want me to make y'all a snack or somethin? I can bring it up in a few."

"Maybe later." Miley answered, and then grabbed Lilly's hand. "Come on, it's this way."

Lilly nodded politely in Robbie Ray's direction before being pulled up the stairs by Miley. Once she and Lilly were out of sight, Robbie Ray went back to the kitchen and pinched his eyes shut, hoping it would keep his tears of relief at bay.

_Maybe things'll work out for the better after all._

**_Author's note: Sorry if I offended anyone with Amber and Ashley's crude remarks. But...they are bitches. Really. Thanks:)_**


	5. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: This is probably going to be the last update until after the fourth of July. The fam's heading down to a house we rented for the next few days...so I won't be at home to update. Sorry if it disappoints...but remember, Patience is a Virtue. wink**_

Chapter 4

Miley sat on her bed watching Lilly walk around the room, wondering what exactly she was doing. She looked down at her hands, at the little white scars that lined them, wondering if she should tell Lilly about the accident. _She must be wondering where I got this from, right? No one is that comfortable with it. It's impossible. She has to be curious._

"...nice." Lilly said.

Miley looked up. "Hmm?"

Lilly smiled and laughed slightly. "You do that a lot, don't you?"

"Do what?"

Lilly sat down on the bed next to Miley. "Go inside your head. You think its safe there."

Miley looked at Lilly suspiciously. "What are you, some kind of therapist?" For two years Miley visited with a therapist, and he did nothing for her. She hadn't cared for them since.

Lilly shook her head, rolling her eyes. "No. I got to reading my mother's old psychology books. She took like, one class in college and thought she was Sigmund Freud for like, three months. When the family almost strangled her, and when she got a D in the class, she decided psychology wasn't the best route for her." Lilly took another breath and shrugged. "I don't know. I like them."

Miley watched Lilly ramble in amusment. The words just flowed from her mouth like a river. When she thought it was safe to talk, she said, "You do **that** a lot, don't you?"

"Huh?"

"Ramble on." Miley teased, and then laughed.

Lilly looked embarrassed for about two seconds before joining in the laughter. "You noticed huh? Sorry. I can't help it. My mother says my mind is like a lake, and my mouth's the broken dam."

"Couldn't a said it better myself." Miley responded and laughed again, but then became nervous. "I'm kidding." She said it as if she were afraid Lilly would get mad and storm out, leaving her alone again.

Lilly understood. "I know." She decided to change the subject before things became uncomfortable. "So...how's Malibu so far? You go down to the beach yet?" She shook her thumb behind her, motioning toward the beach that lay just outside Miley's back bedroom window.

Miley shook her head. "Uh-uh. I'm not really a 'beach' kind of person."

Lilly scoffed. "Please. You live in MALIBU. Everyone's a beach person, and if you aren't, we'll make you one. You've got to try it one day."

Miley looked at Lilly and for some reason couldn't bring herself to say "no" even if that's what she was thinking. "Maybe," was all she could manage, "but not today."

"Fine by me."

The girls stared at one another for a moment, Lilly feeling that odd feeling she got in her stomach whenever she found herself close to someone she liked. Miley was too busy trying to get used to comfortable silence to really notice Lilly's blatant lust-filled stare.

Before her urges got the better of her, Lilly coughed and looked away. "Uh...homework."

"Right." Miley said, grabbing her book bag.

---------------------------------------------

A while later, when Robbie Ray went to knock on the door to tell the girls dinner would be ready soon, he heard the sound of laughter, and he had to stop to keep himself from crying. He couldn't remember the last time he heard his daughter's laugh. It was one of the most wonderful sounds in the world. Whoever Lilly was, she was magical. She had managed to accomplish in one day what Robbie Ray couldn't accomplish in five years. Maybe all Miley needed was a good friend, and Robbie could tell that Lilly was one of those rare finds. He was glad Miley had found her.

Clearing the lump from his throat, he knocked on the door. "Hey, it's me." Then, he let himself in. Miley was lying stomach down on her bed reading a magazine and Lilly was sitting next to her, pointing out an outfit she obviously hated, because she made a gagging motion. He smiled as both girls looked up at him. "Uh, dinner's going to be ready soon. I made your favorite. Robbie Ray's Eeee Doggies."

Miley nodded, turned to Lilly and then back to Robbie Ray. "Daddy, can Lilly stay for dinner?"

"Of course. We'd love to have ya."

Lilly nodded, whipping out her cell phone. "Cool, just let me call my mom. If I don't contact her by seven-thirty, she sends an ambulance down to the skate park. Excuse me." She got up and walked toward the bedroom window and Miley jumped up to stand beside her father.

"She seems nice." Robbie Ray whispered to his daughter, who smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, she is. Funny too."

Robbie looked at his daughter, who was completely taken by the blonde girl by her window, and he wondered if there wasn't something more to Lilly and Miley than anyone knew. _It's only one day though, and it's been a while since Miles had someone "see" her, the real her. We'll see how it goes._

Lilly returned to them, smiling shyly for some reason. "My mom says I can stay on one condition...I get your autograph." She said, looking at Robbie Ray, completely embarrassed.

Robbie Ray laughed. "Of course darlin." He said, slapping Lilly gently on the back. "I was gonna send you home with one anyway."

"Great," Lilly expelled in a breath of relief. She hated when her mother made her do embarrassing things. "So, what kind of 'doggies' are we having?"

"Eeee Doggies." Miley answered before her father could. "Specialy made. Nobody makes 'em like my dad."

Robbie Ray laughed and nodded confidently.

"I'm intrigued." Lilly responded as they headed down the stairs toward the kitchen.

-------------------------------

"Seriously Mr. Stewart," Lilly said after swallowing the last bite of her third hot dog, "does Oscar Mayer know about you? Because if you packaged these babies, the kids would wish to be a Robbie Ray Eeee Doggie, and not that other one."

"You think those are good, you should taste my flapjacks." Robbie Ray said, tooting his own horn as long as there was an audience to toot it for.

"Won first place at the county fair flapjack contest three years in a row." Miley flatly continued. "People would line up just to taste 'em."

"Say no more. Seriously. Otherwise I'll be here for breakfast tomorrow morning expecting a plate of flapjacks waiting for me." When Miley and Robbie Ray laughed, she continued. "You don't believe me?"

"No, I do." Robbie Ray said, putting a hand up. "That's what's so funny."

Lilly shrugged sheepishly, sipping her drink, shaking her head.

Suddenly, Robbie Ray was looking beyond the girls and both turned to see what object caught his attention.

It was Jackson.

"Hey Jackson." Robbie Ray said, his laughter dying down. "Where ya been?"

"Beach." Jackson exhaled, moving to the kitchen.

"We're just having dinner. Want some? Better take some before this one gets her hands on them." He pointed to Lilly, who feigned hurt.

"They're good!" She said defensively, but smiled to show it was playful.

"This is Lilly by the way." Miley introduced her new friend, who waved. Jackson didn't even bother to look up from the hot dog he was preparing. Lilly glanced at Miley who shrugged. Robbie Ray continued on, figuring the best thing to do was change the subject.

"I haven't seen anyone that small pack that much away since my great Aunt Suzie won that pie-eatin contest back in 94."

"Seven blueberry pies in ten minutes." Miley added and Lilly's eyes widened.

"Way to go Aunt Suzie."

"Wanna join us son?" Robbie Ray said just as Jackson was about to disappear upstairs.

"No." Came the reply. Then, Jackson was gone.

_What am I going to do with that boy?_ Robbie Ray thought as he sighed. There was a moment of awkward silence before he decided to break it. "Uh...let's get this cleaned up, huh?"

Miley and Lilly jumped to it. "Sure." Lilly said.

"Yeah." Miley said about the same time.

As they cleaned, Robbie Ray told them stories about his days on the bus with the band, and all of the famous musicians he met. Miley had heard the stories all before, but Lilly was fascinated and actively engaged with Robbie Ray the entire time. Though she never really had friends to confirm it, Miley suspected (mainly from the way it was portrayed on t.v. and in the movies) that teenagers weren't supposed to get along with adults, but Lilly seemed just as comfortable with Robbie Ray as she did with Miley.

_She's something I've never known before_. Miley thought as she dried the wet dishes, unaware that she had been staring at Lilly for a good five minutes, and that Lilly was noticing.

_She's staring at me._ Lilly thought excitedly._ This is good. This is really good...but no! Hold the phone Truscott._ _Let's see if we can't take this slowly. You don't want her to freak out, do you? No. And you don't want to take advantage either. Things are looking good. Let's see if we can make them look even better...but not yet. Just keep yourself in control._ Lilly pretended not to notice Miley's stare and decided to rejoin Robbie Ray's conversation. "Hmm? I'm sorry Mr. Stewart, I kinda zoned out for a sec. What did you say?"

"I once had a backup singer named Celine Dionowitz." He responded, his eyes glazing over as he reminisced. "She was good. Too good, so I suggested she try to go solo, see if she couldn't jumpstart her career. But her name was too long. I told her to shorten it--"

Miley cut her father off, rolling her eyes. "And the rest is history."

"That..." Robbie Ray said, putting a finger up in the air. "Is a true story."

Lilly gaped. "Really? That's so freakin' cool!"

Robbie Ray laughed at Lilly's exclamation. _She really is something else. This is what I was hopin for. She's so full of life. I hope my Miles catches that bug too._ "It is, but my children don't believe me."

To this, Miley just rolled her eyes again. Before they knew it, all of the dishes were washed and dry, the leftovers had been put away, and the kitchen was clean again. Lilly checked her wristwatch and gasped. "Shoot, I have to get home."

"All right, lemme get that autograph for you." Robbie Ray said, jogging off to his office to grab one of those headshot photos he usually sent out to fans by mail.

Left alone, Miley was unsure of what to say to Lilly. She thought asking if she would be at her house in the morning sounded desperate. Asking if they were going to see each other in school sounded stupid. Asking anything at all didn't seem right to the introverted girl. She hated that she felt so insecure, while Lilly seemed so comfortable.

In silence, Lilly gathered her things together. "So, I'll see you tomorrow, eh?"

Miley nodded, grateful that she didn't have to initiate the good-byes.

"You walking to school, or does your dad drive you?"

"Ah...uh...I dunno. He drove me today, but maybe we can walk?"

"Well whatever you want's cool." Lilly said, trying to situate her skateboard to make it fit into the straps of her backpack. She placed the loose helmet on her head. "If we walk though, we'll probably have to start out earlier."

Miley nodded. "Yeah."

Robbie Ray then returned. "Here ya go." He handed the signed photograph to Lilly.

"Thanks a lot." Lilly said, looking over the photograph. "Thanks for letting me stay for dinner too."

"Awe, no problem. You're welcome anytime." Robbie said, and Miley looked at him. He was getting all "over-compensating" parent on her. She knew he was just excited that she had found a friend, but some restraint would've been nice.

Lilly took it all in stride. "Good, so I guess I'll see you bright and early for the flapjacks tomorrow."

Robbie laughed. "Sure. Why not?"

"Awesome." Lilly said and opened the door. She turned to wave at Miley one last time. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah." Miley said, suddenly saddened by Lilly's departure.

Then, Lilly was gone.

An awkward silence settled in around father and daughter soon after. It was as if all the air were sucked out of the room. All the life had left the house. And it was missed, terribly.

"I like her." Robbie Ray finally said, and Miley glared at him.

"I saw that. Could you have been a little more embarrassing?" Miley snapped.

Robbie Ray was taken aback. "Wha..."

"You were happier than a woodchuck in a lumber yard! I know she's the first friend I've had in a long, long time, but I don't want you freakin her out with all your crazy stories and your...your...eagerness!" Miley said, the anger evident in her voice, even if it didn't rise a decibel above normal.

"Miles...I-I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean ta seem so...happy...no, that's comin out wrong. I mean, I am happy for you, but I didn't realize it was showin so much it was freakin Lilly out. Did she tell you that?"

Miley crossed her arms and looked away. "No...but I think she was just bein nice." _She's probably not gonna talk to me tomorrow. My dad scared her off. She's gonna avoid me and tell everyone what freaks me and my family are._

"I'm sorry." Robbie Ray said, putting a hand on Miley's shoulder. He knew it was her nerves talking. "But I don't think Lilly was freaked out. And I don't think she scares so easy."

Miley exhaled, looking down. _I hope you're right._ "Okay."

"But I am sorry. I guess I came on a bit strong, huh?"

"Ya think?"

"I'll be better next time, I swear." Robbie Ray said, putting his right hand up, as if taking an oath.

"Okay." Miley sighed. "Look, I'm tired, and I still got a bit a homework to finish. I'm going up to my room."

"All right. I'll be in later to say good night, okay?"

"Okay." Miley started up the stairs before Robbie called out to her.

"Miles?"

She turned. "Yeah?"

"How's Malibu so far?"

_It sucks...except for Lilly._ "Okay." She lied.

"Okay." Robbie exhaled.

When she thought it was safe, she continued up the stairs to her room. On her way to her room, she almost ran into Jackson. "Hey, thanks for sticking by me in school, and making sure I was okay and all that." She spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jackson scowled, but softened when he looked at her. He didn't abandon her in school just to be mean. The truth was he couldn't stand her being ridiculed. He still felt guilty about not being in the car that night. If he had gone along for the ride, maybe he would've been the scarred one, because he would've been in front. There would've been no way Miley would've gotten the front if Jackson went. He had permanent shotgun. But he didn't go...and his mother was dead, and his sister was ruined. She would never be the same. Jackson remembered her before the accident. She was annoying, but happy. And she was loud. Now, she barely spoke above a whisper.

There were nights when Jackson prayed and prayed for God to change everything around. He would give anything to take that scar away. Anything at all. But he couldn't...and if he stuck by Miley in the hallway at school, and someone made fun of her, he would've killed them.

That's all his father would need...to be in the principal's office on Jackson's first day of school.

So, he decided the best thing was to leave her. It probably wasn't the right thing to do, but it was the only thing he could think to do at the time. Plus, she had that friend now...so maybe it wasn't that wrong after all.

"Whatever." He said, and moved around her to go downstairs.

"Dick." Miley muttered under her breath and walked to her room.

Jackson heard it, but didn't care. Maybe he was a dick, but he didn't know any other way to be.

-  
When Miley reached her bedroom, her phone started to ring. She looked at it in disbelief. Someone was calling her. It was Lilly. She unconsciously smiled as she answered. "Hello?"

"Hey there, just wanted to know if we were walking to school tomorrow, or what?"

Miley thought about it for a second. "Um...walking."

"Awesome." Lilly replied. "Oh, and tell you dad my mom nearly fainted when she saw the autographed photo...she's out at the store buying a frame for it right now."

Miley laughed. "I will."

"Okay...and make sure to remind your dad he's making pancakes for me tomorrow morning."

Miley smiled. "Okay."_ I guess she wasn't freaked out by my dad after all._ "Good night."

"Night Miley." Lilly said...and a warm feeling started to form in the pit of Miley's stomach.

Miley hung up, and went to grab her school books, completely unaware that she was still smiling from ear to ear.

_**Author's Note: To those who don't like Jackson's attitude at the moment...it will change. You just have to give it time. He'll get better. Have a happy 4th to fellow Americans...and a nice day to everyone else. (I know we all don't celebrate independence day...that would just be odd.) :)**_


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next day, Miley had a slightly improved outlook on Malibu. It wouldn't be so bad if she had Lilly. _Where did that come from?_ Miley chalked it up to the newfound delight of making a friend. A potentially good friend. No…a potentially great friend. Wait…an absolutely amazing friend.

She showered and dressed and stood in front of her mirror, wondering if she should try a new hairdo. Her hair, naturally, was long and wavy. She wondered about straightening it. Her hair was easily manipulated when it was straight. It covered her face just the way she wanted it to. Wavy was kind of unpredictable. She lifted her hair above her face, bringing it back into a ponytail. _No. I'm so not ready for that._

She decided to flat-iron it. It would be better that way. Easier to hide beneath.

When that was finished, she headed downstairs to find her father cooking is famous pancakes and began to think of Lilly again. Checking her watch, she figured Lilly would be arriving any minute if she wanted to have breakfast. Jackson stumbled down after her, his blonde hair perfectly messy, his headphones already attached to his ears. He shuffled over to the table and plopped down, resting his head on his hands, closing his eyes.

"Morning guys." Robbie Ray greeted, flipping a pancake. "Miles, is Lilly coming for breakfast?"

Miley shrugged, about to answer, when the house phone began to ring. She smiled, pressing the speakerphone button. "Hello?"

"Hey! Lilly landing in 5!" Lilly said and hung up.

Miley and Robbie Ray shared a confused glance. "What's a 'Lilly Landing'?" Robbie Ray asked.

Miley shrugged again. "I don't--"

**BANG!**

Miley jumped back, snapping her head toward the sound. Robbie Ray nearly lost a pancake. Jackson didn't react. He opened one eye, and then shut it again. "What in the Sam Hell…" Robbie Ray mumbled, switching the burner off and walking toward the living room.

It wasn't until Miley saw a skateboard and a converse-clad foot that she realized what had happened. Lilly had skated and landed face first into the French doors. She gasped, running toward the door. She opened it to find Lilly trying to stand. "Lilly! Are you all right?" She offered a hand, which Lilly appreciatively grabbed.

Lilly laughed, nodding. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I probably shoulda told ya what a 'Lilly Landing' was before I actually did it."

"Ya think?" Miley asked sarcastically, holding Lilly's upper arm, helping her inside where Robbie Ray was waiting.

"You okay darlin?" He asked, checking her over for injuries.

Lilly scoffed. "Oh yeah. It's takes much, much more than that to take Lilly Truscott down. I'm just glad I didn't break your doors."

"It's just a suggestion, but have you ever considered just walking into a house?" Robbie Ray asked.

Lilly shrugged. "Sorry. It's habit. I do it to my other friends too. I'm sorry…ooh, pancakes!" Just like that, Lilly switched gears. She walked toward the kitchen, leaving a bewildered and slightly amused Miley and Robbie in her wake.

"Morning Jackson." Lilly greeted as she sat down at the table across from Jackson. He opened one eye again.

"Do I know you?"

"I'm Lilly. Miley's friend."

Jackson didn't answer. Instead, he closed his eye again.

"And you're obviously not a morning person." She muttered, turning her attentions to Robbie Ray, who was making plates for everyone. Miley took a seat next to Lilly, looking at her apologetically. "Sorry…my brother has absolutely no manners." She shot Jackson a glare that could've killed a person.

"It's cool." Lilly said. She didn't care really. She wasn't trying to win Jackson's heart, though she figured she should try to get on his good side, seeing as he was Miley's brother and all. It had been a long, long time since Lilly really liked someone; she didn't want to muck it up on a familial technicality. Besides, Jackson would warm up to her sooner or later. _He would, wouldn't he?_

She decided to focus on the pancakes instead…the delicious smelling pancakes that had just been placed in front of her by Mr. Stewart.

--------------------------------------

Lilly finished her plate, and had two more after, exclaiming how unbelievably delicious they were after almost every bite. "Seriously…what did you do to them?"

"A good cook never reveals his secret." Robbie Ray said, smiling proudly.

"Isn't it a good magician Dad?" Miley corrected.

"It's the same thing. Those pancakes were magical." Lilly said and both Robbie Ray and Miley laughed.

Robbie shook his head playfully at Lilly's antics, but suddenly remembered the time. He looked at his watch. By his calculations, the kids should have left ten minutes ago. "Guys, y'all better get a move on or you're gonna be late for school." He turned and tapped his watch to exaggerate his point.

"Shoot!" Lilly shouted, hopping off the chair. She grabbed Miley's hand; too busy to notice the tingle she felt when she did, and pulled her toward the door. "Let's go!"

"Uh…school bags!" Miley shouted just as they were about to reach the door.

"Right!" Lilly said, letting go of Miley's hand and running to get her stuff. She threw her helmet on backwards and grabbed her skateboard and schoolbag, flinging it over her shoulder and stuffing the board under her arm. "Bye Mr. Stewart!"

"Bye Daddy!" Miley yelled as she and Lilly ran out the door.

"Bye girls! Have a good day!" He shouted after them, laughing at little at their hasty exit. He turned to start cleaning the kitchen when he noticed Jackson still sitting at the table. He had returned to his initial position at the table, head in hands, eyes closed. "Jackson…you're gonna be late. Wake up."

Jackson opened his eyes, inhaling loudly. He looked at his father expectantly. "I thought you were driving me."

Robbie shook his head. "Sorry kiddo. I gotta head down to the studio early today."

"Coulda fuckin told me that before." Jackson mumbled, sliding off the chair.

Robbie's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Jackson rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Nothing. Bye." He grabbed his book bag and was out the door before Robbie had time to properly react.

"Jackson Rod Stewart…Jack--" Robbie Ray exhaled in frustration, putting his head down. "Dammit."

----------------------

When the girls finally reached school, they were two minutes late. Breathless, Lilly and Miley stopped just before the door to see the security guard handing out late passes to incoming students. "Crap." Lilly cursed. "I can't be late again."

"I'm late too!" Miley whined. "But what are we gonna do about it?"

Lilly checked her wristwatch. "The late bell hasn't rung yet…but if we go this way, it's gonna take at least ten minutes to fill everything out. And then we'll definitely be late. Damn…" She looked around. "Uh…follow me." She grabbed Miley's hand and pulled her toward the side wall of the school.

Within seconds, they were by the dumpsters. Just beyond them was a crook in the wall, which held a currently open door. Lilly pressed a finger to her lips and turned to Miley, motioning for her to follow quietly. The ducked just as a janitor came out of the door, lighting a cigarette. He turned his back to exhale, and both girls slipped by, unnoticed.

They ran down the hallway until they reached a crowd of students, realizing then that they were safe to walk, and that they weren't going to be late.

As they headed to homeroom, Miley figured it was safe to talk again. "How'd you know to go in through that way?"

Lilly shrugged. "I'm almost always late, and that door's usually open. I usually cut out through there too. Security doesn't pass by there that often. I told you about this, right?"

Miley nodded. Lilly seemed to know everything. She was good to have around.

They reached their destination, but just before they could enter the classroom, a hand had grabbed Miley's shoulder. She jumped and turned, involuntarily grabbing Lilly's arm for protection. Lilly jumped too, and spun, rolling her eyes when she saw who the culprit was. It was Oliver. She smacked his shoulder. "Jesus! You scared the crap out of us!"

"Sorry!" Oliver whined, rubbing his shoulder. "I-I just wanted to apologize to Miley." He said, looking Miley over. "I w-was gonna tell you yesterday, but I didn't really see you after homeroom. I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. I think I embarrassed you. I don't mean to say stuff like that…it just comes out."

"S'okay." Miley muttered, looking down. She was still gripping Lilly's arm, and was now hiding behind her veil of hair again.

"I'm Oliver Oscar Oken." He said cheerily, extending his hand. "But all the ladies call me Smokin' Oken."

"If you call his mother and grandmother 'all the ladies' then sure…" Lilly whispered and Oliver frowned.

"You're kinda ruining the rep here!" He whispered harshly.

Miley looked at Lilly before taking his hand and shook it. "Miley Stewart."

Oliver smiled. "Well Miley Stewart, it was nice to meet you. And if you ever need help with your locker, I'll be around. Just call for 'Locker Man' and I'll be there. All right?"

Miley nodded. After that, Oliver walked past them and into class. It was only when he was gone that Miley let go of Lilly's arm, and the warm, comfortable feeling that had been spreading throughout Lilly's body stopped. "Come on." Lilly said, and they went inside.

Miley sat down in the back, and Lilly sat next to her, leaning over to talk. "It's all right. Oliver's cool people. His foot generally resides in his mouth, but he doesn't mean any real harm. Just smack him. That's how I deal with it."

"I'll…keep that in mind." Miley slowly responded, unsure of what to say, or what to think of Oliver Oscar Oken. She supposed he seemed nice enough…but for some strange reason, he scared her. Maybe it was the strength at which he came on. He was one of those guys who tried to be smooth, but really weren't. Miley wasn't sure she liked him just yet…but if Lilly said he was all right, it probably was.

Miley wasn't too keen on trusting people who humiliated her…unintentional or not. Only time would tell.


	7. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note: The section in the story that's bolded and italicized is a flashback scene.**_

Chapter 6

Miley missed Lilly's presence in her other classes, but in Spanish Oliver sat next to her and offered to share his text book, which was nice. He wasn't a bad guy, but Miley was still a little shaky.

It seemed like forever before lunch period rolled around. Lilly was at Miley's locker waiting for her when the bell rang. "Hey." Miley said.

Lilly smiled. "Missed you." She said before she realized what was coming out of her mouth. _Oh shit. Did I just say that out loud?_ She laughed nervously. "Ah…uh…"

Miley smirked uncomfortably, feeling that weird warm feeling flushing over her body again. It was nice, but also a little scary. "O…kay…"

Lilly looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She had absolutely no idea how to recover from that. Luckily, Oliver appeared, saving her. "Hey ladies. How are we this fine afternoon?"

"Great, and yourself?" Lilly quickly responded, happy for the change of subject.

"Hungry. So what are we standing around here for? Let's head to lunch before all the good tables are taken!" Oliver turned and marched forward with Lilly and Miley trailing behind him.

"One thing you should probably know about Oliver is that food is the main love of his life. Then it's girls…though he'll try to tell you different."

"That…is completely untrue!" Oliver shouted, overhearing the girls' conversation. He turned to Miley and Lilly, walking backward toward the cafeteria. "My first and only love is the ladies. Everything else is…"

"They're serving grilled cheese today!" Someone shouted excitedly.

At that announcement, Oliver turned. "Ooh! Me first!" He ran toward the cafeteria, pushing his way through people.

Miley gave Lilly a puzzled yet amused look. Lilly just rolled her eyes.

They entered the cafeteria and scanned the room. "Cafeteria placement means a lot in this school." Lilly said as they moved through tables, looking for prime seating. "Now, since our current status is 'less than garbage' there are a few 'off limit' zones. I know, I know, why would I follow such a stupid and bogus rule? Because breaking it is not worth the trouble." Lilly sighed in frustration. "Believe me, I know."

Miley listened intently. "Why can't we just sit where we were yesterday?"

Lilly shook her head. "Uh-uh. You were in the dead zone. I was just too polite to tell you. That's where the invisibles sit."

"What's so bad about that?" Miley asked. _I don't mind being invisible._

"Well, did you happen to notice that three other people were sitting at that table yesterday?"

Miley blinked in shock, trying to recall. She thought she was alone. "N-no. Actually…no." She thought back to yesterday…she really thought she was alone at that table until Lilly came along. "Really?"

Lilly nodded. "Oh yeah. We're pretty low on the 'cool' list, but we're not that low. Okay, so, off limit zones." Lilly looked around the room, pointing as she found the areas pertaining to her conversation. "The two tables dead center. Those are reserved for the beautiful people and the varsity jocks. Sitting over there is like jumping into the lion's den. Then you've got your 'gangsters; over there…very hostile…seriously. Oliver found his way over there and let's just say he couldn't find his way out so easily. The crazy loner/pyromaniac table is fun for light shows and knife fights, but I'd steer clear. The rockstar/groupie tables are good for soft porn entertainment, but even that gets old. The academic club tables are good for when you need help with homework, but you don't want to make conversation. They think they're better than everybody. Let's not forget your dead zones either. That's about it."

Lilly had squared off a good 3/4s of the room. "So…where do you usually sit?" Miley asked.

"I move around." Lilly pointed off to the side by the windows, closest to the exit doors. "One day I could be sitting over there by the art/drama kids. Sometimes they're a bit too soap opera-ish for me though." Then, she pointed a few feet down, where some kids were doing skateboard tricks in the lunchroom. "Or with the skater stoners, but they can get kinda boring if they aren't skating."

Lilly began walking, and Miley followed. "Today, though, we are sitting here." Lilly plopped her stuff down on a table right in front of the food line. It was a few tables away from the 'beautiful' people, and in the front of the lunchroom. "Since we associate with Oliver, we can sit here every once in a while."

"What's this table?"

"This table is designated for the 'almost there's.'" Lilly stated. The look on Miley's face told Lilly she needed to elaborate. "The kids at this table are stuck in a sort of cool/uncool limbo. They could go either way. It changes from week to week. This week is a downer for Oliver, so we can sit here."

"That sounds--"

"Stupid, I know. But that's High School. Class distinction is sharp, and upward mobility is rare." After this statement, Lilly leaned over and whispered, "I usually don't eat lunch here. I take it outside. You're not supposed to do that until you're a senior, but whose gonna know the difference, right?"

Miley shrugged. She was still trying to grasp the hierarchy of her new high school. It was much more complex than her school in Tennessee. Though Tennessee did have almost every group described to her, they were generally thrown together in three classes. Back there, there were the popular kids, the unpopular kids, and the total losers. People generally tolerated mixtures between two of the three classes… but the total losers got left out of everything. Miley was one of those.

Oliver plopped down as soon as Lilly finished talking. "As I was saying…first and foremost comes the ladies. Food's next." He chomped into his sandwich, almost obscenely savoring the flavor.

Lilly just shook her head while Miley watched wide-eyed with amazement. Then, Lilly got up. "I'm going to get food and a soda. You want one Miley?"

_Jesus…she's leaving me? _Miley looked at Oliver and then Lilly. She didn't want to seem clingy, but Lilly seemed the sane one between them. She could survive a few seconds with him. After all, he wasn't that bad in Spanish class. "O-okay. Sure."

Lilly smiled. "Be right back." Then, she was gone.

Miley slowly began eating her lunch, peanut butter and jelly, with a banana. They sat in silence.

"Lilly's something else huh?" Oliver finally said, taking a break from his sandwich love-making.

Miley nodded. "Yeah."

"Have you seen her skate yet?"

Miley shook her head.

"You should let her take you down to the park. She's awesome…falls more than leaves off a tree in autumn though, if you know what I mean."

Miley slightly smiled before returning her attentions to her sandwich. They ate in awkward silence for a few more seconds. _Just talk to the boy!_ Miley mentally screamed at herself. "S-so…" she cleared her throat, "u-uh…how did you learn to do that stuff with lockers?"

Oliver stared at Miley for a second, amazed that she had initiated conversation. Then he realized what he was doing. "Oh…" he laughed. "That's nothing. It's a gift. Not a very useful one outside of high school…but a gift nonetheless."

"It's cool." Miley said and Oliver smiled. "You should charge for your service."

Oliver scoffed. "Yeah right, that's…actually a pretty good idea! Thanks!" He smiled at Miley. _She's not so bad after all. A little quiet, but Lilly and I will fix that in no time. _"You know, you're kinda cool."

Miley smiled. "Thanks." She said lowly. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Thanks." Oliver said, and then resumed his grilled cheese love fest.

Lilly returned shortly after with a plate of grilled cheese and two sodas. Plopping down, she said, "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing, just a little Oliver-Miley bonding time. Ain't that right?" Oliver answered, looking at Miley.

She played along. "Oh yeah. Lots of bonding."

"That's good to know." Lilly said flatly, but with a smile. She hoped Oliver and Miley would get along, and it seemed as though they were.

They continued to enjoy their meals in comfortable silence, Lilly stealing secret glances at Miley when she thought she wasn't looking, until they were interrupted by a loud ruckus at the cafeteria doors.

Miley looked up to see what was going on. It was a crowd of girls around a guy. He was beautiful. Tall, tan, blonde and fit. He strolled as if he weren't surrounded by swooning teenage girls. He finally stopped in the middle of the room, taking notice of the girls. "Ladies, ladies, please. There is enough of me to go around…but right now, I would like to eat. I'll see you all later, okay?"

Acting as two guard dogs, Amber and Ashley broke up the crowd, standing in front of the boy. "Okay everyone, hands off." Ashley warned.

"You've got exactly three seconds to vamoose…or you know what will happen." Amber added.

"Three…" Amber started.

"Two…" Ashley said next, looking at her watch.

As if by magic, the crowd disappeared.

The boy turned, kissing each girl on the lips. "Thanks sweets." He then turned and headed for the front of the cafeteria.

Miley couldn't take her eyes from him. He was an Adonis. He was beautiful. As he was walking, he turned his head toward her, winking, tossing her a 1000 watt smile. She sighed…but then remembered what she looked like and looked down. He just kept on walking.

Lilly watched the entire interaction with disgust. "There he goes…" she muttered bitterly.

"Wh-wh-who is that?" Miley asked, her throat suddenly dry.

"Jake Ryan." Oliver sighed. "A junior. Captain of the Lacrosse team, Student Body President and the most popular guy in school." Oliver sighed. _What I wouldn't give to be him!_

"Don't forget resident man whore." Lilly added, a hint of sourness in her voice.

"What?" Miley asked. She had never heard that phrase before.

"Oh yeah. He's been with just about every girl in school…and maybe some of the guys if you know what I mean." She said scandalously.

Miley's eyes widened. "No."

Oliver waved a finger in the air. "Uh-uh…so not true. Nobody has ever proven that Jake's been with a guy."

"Oh please." Lilly rolled her eyes. "It's because they're all too scared to say anything."

"Why's that?" Oliver challenged.

"Because Jake's got a rep to uphold. You can't be the Lothario if you've played for both teams."

"Listen, just because you bat lefty and righty doesn't mean everyone else does." Oliver spat.

"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying it takes one to know one…and I KNOW one."

"He's cute." Miley dreamily breathed and both Lilly and Oliver turned to look at her. Lilly scowled. There was no way Jake Ryan was going to steal Miley from her with just one passing glance.

"Sure…if you like that sort of thing." She said loudly as Jake passed by again, but he didn't seem to notice or care…or both.

"You used to 'like that sort of thing' once." Oliver said smugly and Lilly gasped.

"Really?" Miley said, joining Oliver in staring at Lilly.

"Listen, that was last year. I was young and stupid then."

"They went out once." Oliver said to Miley, whose eyes widened for what seemed like the hundredth time that period.

"Yeah?" She said and Oliver nodded.

"Yeah, but he dumped her and she's hated him ever since."

Lilly scoffed defensively. "Oh, he did not dump me! I dumped him, he just made a public spectacle so he wouldn't look like an idiot in front of the whole school."

_**Lilly walked up to Jake, who was standing at his locker, trying to look good for anyone who cared to notice. "Hey Jake?" **_

_**He turned to her, flashing his winning smile. "Hey babe. How's it going? Can't stay away from me eh?"**_

_**"Actually…" Lilly pulled him aside. "I kinda wanted to talk to you about that. I…I don't think we should go out anymore."**_

_**Lilly had the worst time on her date with Jake last night. Though he did reveal something to her no one else knew, (his real name was Leslie…Jake is his middle name)…he was rude, egotistical, and she figured he only revealed that so she would put out. It sort of worked, but during their make-out session, he got very handsy. It made Lilly extremely uncomfortable and shattered all of her illusions.**_

**_Jake looked shocked for a moment, but quickly recovered. He looked around to see if anyone __was listening in. It didn't look so._**

_**"I hope we can…"**_

_**Jake interrupted her. "Lilly please…stop begging! I'm not going to give you another chance so stop asking. There is NO WAY I'M GOING TO GO OUT WITH YOU EVER AGAIN."**_

_**Everyone in the hallway stopped. Lilly could feel her blood boil. People started laughing. She couldn't even formulate words to express the anger and embarrassment she was feeling. **_

_**"No hard feelings?" Jake said, winking at her.**_

_**Lilly slapped him hard across the face. "Asshole!" She shouted, storming off.**_

_**Within seconds, a flock of girls surrounded Jake, kissing his 'boo-boo' away.**_

"That's what really happened." Lilly said.

"Sure." Oliver said sarcastically.

Lilly just rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I'm tired of talking about him. Let's move on."

The trio talked of other things, like what they watched on television last night, and about new songs and whatnot, but for the rest of the lunch period Miley would glance over in Jake's direction.

And Lilly saw it. _God damn it._

_**Author's Note: Don't worry guys, it's a femslash for sure, but I never said it was going to be easy...now did I:)**_


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

For the rest of the school day, Miley continued to think about Jake. He was unlike any guy she had seen before. He was gorgeous. There were a few cute guys in Tennessee, but none that matched Jake. In fact, none of the men in Tennessee could hold a candle to Jake. And the way he smiled…it made her heart flutter. She literally felt it flutter.

It was nice…but Miley knew that's as far as it would go. She knew he would never go out with her. Jake Ryan, on a date with "Quasimodo?" The Stewart Family winning the lottery would be more likely. But…it couldn't hurt to fantasize could it?

While Miley was off in her own little world, imagining her and Jake on a blanket on the beach, feeding strawberries to one another…Lilly was seething with rage.

She had put herself out there more than once, and Jake swept all of it away with one toothy grin. Oh, how she hated that boy. It was no matter though. Lilly was confident in her staying power.

Jake was like a shiny new toy. Once the novelty wore off, it was back to the old worn out toy you always played with.

She just hoped in Miley's case, the novelty would wear off fast.

School ended and the girls chatted while they walked to Miley's house. They talked about homework, and the fact that Mrs. Kunkle had 'man hands' as Oliver delicately put it. Lilly even went as far as to imitate the frightening, no-nonsense woman, making Miley laugh.

When the laughter died down, Miley looked at Lilly, smiling.

A little anxious under the heat of the stare, Lilly had to ask. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Miley slightly shook her head. "When are you going to show me how you skate?"

"Huh?"

Miley shook her head more vigorously this time, looking away. "It's nothing…never mind."

"No." Lilly said, grabbing Miley's arm. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Miley sighed, "Oliver was telling me about how good you are, and he asked if you took me to the skate park yet…and I was just wondering if you were going to, that's all."

Lilly smiled brightly. "Of course I'll take you. You wanna go?"

"Sure." Miley shrugged. "I never been to a skate park before."

"Then it's about time you went. We'll go later, after dinner. It'll be awesome!" Lilly felt her heart skipping. Miley was going to watch her skate. And she was going to skate her hardest.

Maybe if she did, Miley would forget that stupid Neanderthal Ryan and…_dream on Truscott. _

"…okay?" Miley interrupted Lilly's thoughts.

"Hmmm?" Lilly said, looking at Miley, who looked nervous.

"Are you okay? You don't look so…happy. You don't want me to come?"

Lilly shook her head. "No, no, of course I do. I-I-I…" She frantically searched her brain for a reasonable excuse. "I was just thinking about how embarrassing it would be if I fell…which is probably going to happen more than once."

Miley laughed. "Well, I wouldn't laugh at you, if that's what you think."

"You're laughing at me now!" Lilly argued playfully.

"Fair enough." Miley giggled, "but I won't tonight…I promise."

Lilly grinned, looking at Miley in love-struck wonderment. _You have absolutely no idea how beautiful you are…do you? Especially when you smile._ "I believe you."

_Why does she keep looking at me like that?_ Miley wondered, hoping that her discomfort wasn't showing. The way Lilly stared sometimes really made Miley…uncomfortable. That was the only way to describe it. And the way she smiled softly…it made Miley want to fade away…to just disappear. To where, she didn't know. Most of all, it made her insides go all gooey, and that scared her to no end. "Ah-uh…so…will you be joining us for dinner tonight?" Miley said louder than she meant to.

It worked, snapping Lilly from her blissful reverie. "Ah-oh…no. I can't. I haven't eaten with my mother in three days. She said yesterday, no matter what, we were going to eat together…if that meant her setting the table over at the park…which is the very last place I want her to be." Lilly took a second to breathe and continued. "My mother has a freakishly high threshold for embarrassment…almost nothing humiliates her, no matter what I tell her."

"She sounds…fun." Miley sighed, suddenly remembering how much she missed her mother. Sometimes, it hurt so much…just missing her.

Lilly realized she may have struck a very sensitive nerve. "I'm sorry." She said quickly, but Miley waved it off.

"Don't worry about it. It was a long time ago."

"But that doesn't make the pain go away." Lilly continued, and Miley looked at her. "I'm not going to pretend I know how you feel…but…" She stopped walking to think about what she was saying. "…when my grandma died, it was just about the worst thing I ever went through. I loved her. And it's not like a mother, and I didn't get to see her a lot, but it was close…you know?"

Miley nodded. "Yeah, I know." Then, Miley did something she almost never did, she hugged Lilly.

Lilly felt her knees weaken, and hoped to God they wouldn't give out. _Oh, I can't take this._ The close proximity was killing her. And Miley smelt so good. Like…berries. It was faint, but it was there…and it was filling Lilly's nose, invading her thoughts and emotions, making her eyes inadvertently water. _God…you smell so good…you feel so good…I'm in such deep shit here._ Lilly squeezed her eyes, hoping that would keep the tears at bay. It succeeded in cutting the rest off, but the initial ones made their way down her cheeks. _Shit, that's not going to be easy to explain._

When Miley pulled back, Lilly looked away, wiping at her face. _Is…is she crying? She doesn't want me to see…_ Miley decided to change the subject. Looking at her watch, she exhaled. "Oh…Jesus…we better get home before my Daddy thinks we got lost."

Regaining back some of her senses, and some self control, Lilly nodded. "Yeah."

They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence, each girls' thoughts racing a mile a minute.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note: Hey, just a warning that I have close to no idea about skateboarding. All I know comes from those "Tony Hawk" games…and even that I'm shaky on, so don't be offended if I describe a move completely wrong. I don't mean to…I'm just lazy and didn't feel like doing the research.**_

_**On that note…on with the story!**_

Chapter 8

After homework and dinner, Lilly met Miley at the front of her house, and they walked to the skate park, which was only a few blocks away. "Are you sure it's safe to skate this late at night?" It was eight thirty, and dark.

Lilly nodded confidently as they approached the entrance to the park. "Sure. I do it all the time. There are less people here, which means more skate time for me. Plus, it isn't as hot, so I don't have to rest as much. Win, win."

As they walked down the fence that surrounded the outdoor park, Miley took in the sights and sounds. Large overhead lights illuminated the park, lighting up everything. There were various ramps of various shapes and sizes. There was a large half-pipe and two smaller quarter-pipes. There were several railways, some flat and some angled. One looked like it was almost vertical. Miley wondered if anyone could actually slide down it without falling off. There was also a large bowl in the center of the park. All the ramps and such were made of either concrete or wood, and everything was littered with graffiti. Even the benches (which Miley guessed were for relaxing or observing) were covered.

There were a few people, one on a bike, three on roller blades and two on skateboards, roaming around, but there were several unoccupied ramps that Miley was sure Lilly would skate on. They walked to the end of the park, where a small white shack-like building was. There was one small window on one side, and a large opening in the front. It was an office/refreshment stand. Miley could see a rack of chips, and two large refrigerators full of various sodas, waters and sports drinks. She also saw a slushy machine, an ice cream machine, a grill, and a cash register. Off to the back she saw a desk, which is where she guessed the man held all his paperwork.

A man of about forty or so was sitting on a bar stool with his sandal-covered feet sticking out of the large opening on the counter, reading a skater magazine. There was a radio blaring in the background, and Miley noticed then that music was being played to the entire skate park. It was some hardcore rock band screaming about something she didn't know. She wasn't really into hard rock, but it didn't sound bad. Lilly slapped a hand on the table and the man jumped.

"Hey Joe!"

The magazine went flying as Joe flinched. "Sweet Jesus!" He exclaimed, trying to regain his balance. He was about to yell when he saw who it was. "God da--oh, hey Lilly! Long time no see! Where ya been?"

"Breakin in a new friend." Lilly answered, pointing her thumb at Miley, who nervously smiled.

She was waiting for the flinch, the wince, the cringe, the gape…but got nothing. Only a smile.

"This is Miley." Lilly said. "Miley, this is Joe, owner and operator of this fine establishment."

"Damn right." Joe exclaimed, slapping the table. His voice was hoarse but jolly, with a clear Californian brogue, and a hint of kindness. He extended a dry hand in greeting, which Miley hesitantly took. It was rough, but he shook gently. "Nice to meet you Miley. Are you a skater like Lil here?"

Miley shook her head. "No sir. I'm just here to watch."

Joe looked surprised. "Man…been a long time since I heard that accent. We got ourselves a regular southern belle in our company Lilly!"

Miley cheeks reddened and she looked down, smiling shyly.

"Knock it off Joe." Lilly playfully scolded and Joe laughed, but Miley knew it wasn't at her expense.

"So, what'll it be?"

Lilly pulled a twenty from her pocket and passed it to Joe. "We're gonna be here a while."

Joe nodded. "All right, but you know the rules. We want all the landing gear…that means helmet--"

"Check."

"Knee pads--"

"Got 'em."

"Elbow pads."

"Duh."

"And wrist guards."

"Aw Joe…you know I hate those things!" Lilly whined.

Joe stood his ground, putting his hands up in defense. "Hey, thank your parental unit for that. She made me promise I was going to remind you every time or else I'm getting sued. Plus, I can't keep having ambulances show up at the park…it's bad for business."

"Who says!"

"I says. Now get on the gear or get going." Joe warned, but with a smile on his face like he knew he had won.

Lilly's face scrunched up. "Fine!" She finally shouted after a few seconds.

"Pleasure doing business with you…nice to meet you Miley."

"Nice to meet you too." Miley said.

Lilly just rolled her eyes and walked over to the benches, throwing her duffle bag down. Miley followed, sitting next to her. Lilly begrudgingly took out her safety gear and began to put it on, grumbling. "Two little accidents and now I have to be packed to the rim with padding. Might as well roll me in bubble wrap and Styrofoam…"

"That would be interesting." Miley said, trying to lighten the mood.

Lilly looked up from applying her knee pad and smiled. "And probably noisy."

"But fun to watch."

Lilly slapped on the rest of her gear and then snapped her helmet on. "Okay…off I go."

"Good luck." Miley called out to Lilly as she skated away.

Miley had absolutely no idea what Lilly was doing, but she was doing it well. She started off skating quickly to gain momentum, and then jumped, sliding across a rail with ease. She then moved on to a small ramp, kicking the board around with her feet, returning it to its original position just before landing. She stopped at the lip of the bowl and waved to Miley, who waved back, and then she slid in. She disappeared for a few seconds, Miley only catching her hair and the tip of the skateboard as Lilly built up speed. Suddenly, she was up in the air, holding the board in the middle, spinning three times before landing. Miley gasped in amazement. She repeated the trick twice before trying something else. She seemed to be kneeling on the board with one leg, the other flying freely as she spun, and then landed perfectly.

After a few more hair-raising tricks, Lilly left the bowl, skating over to a few more small ramps, flipping the board around with her feet. She spun on the back of the board and then skated over to the vertical rail and jumped. It was quick, but she slid down it perfectly. Her landing was a little shaky, but she fish-tailed it for a few seconds before regaining balance.

Miley watched in awe and envy, so impressed with Lilly's skating that it took her breath away. Only when Lilly was skating back to her did she realize she hadn't been breathing, and sucked in some much needed oxygen in one long, ragged gasp.

Excited that she hadn't fallen over during the set, Lilly started talking way before she reached Miley. "So, what did you think?"

"I thought you were awesome! You were amazing! How long have you been skating? It must've taken forever to get that good!" Miley gushed, standing up to meet Lilly by one of the smaller ramps.

Lilly shrugged modestly. "I'm not that good. I still got a whole bunch to practice."

"Are you kidding!?!?! You're freakin amazing!"

Lilly blushed, looking away bashfully. "Thanks."

"Oliver wasn't kidding when he said you were good. Do they have competitions?"

"Yeah." Lilly nodded, "but I couldn't enter last time because of my head injury, and the year before because of the arm. I'm hoping I don't break anything so I can enter this year, but I don't know. I don't think I'm ready yet."

"Well when is it?"

"In May."

"It's January. You've got plenty of time to practice!" Miley said excitedly. "Seriously Lilly, I think you're great."

Lilly knew Miley didn't mean it the way she wanted it to, but took the compliment anyway. "Thanks." She hopped off the board. "You wanna try?"

Miley's eyes widened. "Oh, no, no thanks. I'd probably crack my head open the minute I stepped on that thing."

"No, it's easy. Here--" She took off her helmet and put it on Miley's head, snapping it closed. She grabbed both of Miley's hands, looking down. "Just stand on it. I'll hold you steady and pull you along."

"No Lilly--" Miley began, but ultimately gave in. She stepped on the board, yelping when it started to move. Lilly stuck her foot in front where most of Miley's weight was distributed, to keep it from moving further.

"Okay, just spread your feet apart a little more…good. Now just hold on." Lilly said, and then gently began to pull Miley along.

Miley shouted the second the board began to move, laughing as Lilly pulled her. Lilly sped up at little, figuring Miley was enjoying herself. "See, easy right?"

"Yeah, I'm a real pro!" Miley shouted, still laughing. She tossed her head back, throwing herself off balance. "WHOA!" she shouted when the board tilted.

Instinctively, Lilly pulled Miley toward her so she would fall forward instead of backward, but wasn't prepared to bear the full brunt of Miley's weight. They both fell in a tangled mess, with a loud "ooff!" from Lilly when they connected with the ground, Miley landing on top of Lilly, who landed on her padded elbows and unprotected butt.

"Owww!" Lilly laughed.

"Ooh, are you okay?" Miley asked, her voice shaky with laughter.

"Fantastic." Lilly deadpanned. "My ass broke our fall."

To this, Miley responded with even louder laughter and Lilly couldn't help but join in…even if her body was burning. Miley was still on top of her, practically sitting on her stomach.

Before they realized it, two men had skated their way, and jumped off their boards just inches from Lilly's head. "Hey Truscott, no hanky-panky in the park!" One of them shouted.

Lilly looked up and sighed. _Way to ruin the moment._ "Shut up Nick."

At the arrival of strangers, Miley became nervous again. She practically jumped off of Lilly and stood, ripping the helmet from her head, lowering her eyes. She didn't know how to meet a person's eyes without preparing herself first. It was a horrible habit that she probably should try to break, but didn't know how to. Everybody Lilly knew was so nice and completely accepting, but Miley still felt the need to "hide" whenever someone new showed up.

Nick grabbed Lilly by the shoulders of her jacket and pulled, nearly lifting her a foot in the air before letting her go to stumble back down. Nick was a short but strong kid, and a good "skater" friend to Lilly. He teased her mercilessly, but what Lilly got she gave back…sooner or later.

"Whose the dish?" The other boy asked, and Lilly slapped his arm.

"She's not a dish, she's Miley. She just moved here." Lilly turned to Miley. "Miley, this is Nick and Adam…the two biggest losers in the park."

Miley looked up at the boys, expecting the reaction she got from almost anyone. Once again, she underestimated Lilly's friends and acquaintances, because they didn't seem to notice or care about her scar.

"I bet you could find two bigger." Nick challenged before nodding toward Miley. "Sup. What's with the scar?"

Miley felt her stomach turn. _Oh, here it comes…let the teasing begin!_

"It's freakin aaaawweeesssommmee!" Adam exclaimed, nodding in approval.

"Wha…" Miley said, surprised. She had heard her scar described in many different and colorful ways, but "awesome" never, ever came up once. Not once. Disgusting, freaky, weird, yucky, and scary…yes…but awesome…that was a new one.

"How'd you get it?" Nick asked excitedly. "Was it tying to do a 360?"

"Or-or grinding down the vertical rail?" Adam added.

"Dude! I once saw a kid try to take that rail and BAM! Busted his face wide open. There was blood everywhere--"

"Guys!" Lilly shouted, silencing the boys. "I think the bowl is free and I saw you waiting…"

Both Nick and Adam turned their heads simultaneously. "Yes!" Adam shouted, once it realized the bowl indeed was free.

"Catch ya later awesome girl…and Lilly." Nick teased before both boys skated away.

"Screw you!" Lilly called after them, only to have Nick flip her off as he rolled away. She turned back to Miley. "They're good guys, really."

"Seem so." Miley answered, watching the boys as they whooped and hooted, skating around in the bowl.

"Hey," Lilly said, looking up at the half pipe. "Come with me." She took Miley's hand and dragged her along.

In the back of the half pipe was a swirling iron staircase that led to the top. Lilly pulled Miley along up the staircase, which squeaked and shook like it was going to break any second. When they reached the top, Miley gasped in awe. It was pretty high, and pretty windy, but most of all…the view was just pretty. She could see up and down the beach from the top of the half-pipe. And the way the moon glimmered off the ocean was just breathtaking. "Lilly…this is beautiful."

Strapping her helmet back on, Lilly looked around. "Actually…yeah it is. I never noticed that before. Wow."

"What'd you take me up here for then?" Miley asked, confused.

Lilly smiled and pushed down on Miley's shoulders. "You sit here. Cross your legs, Indian-style. There, that's perfect." She nudged Miley up to the edge. It seemed like a long way down.

Miley had no idea how anyone could ride down this thing on wheels. She gripped on to the edge with all her might, for fear of just toppling over. "Wh-wh-what are you doing?" She asked nervously.

Lilly positioned herself on her board, raising an eyebrow as she smirked. "You'll see. Now, what I need you to do is hold up your left hand real high, okay?"

"What?"

"Just…do it, all right?"

"Okay." Miley agreed, but was still completely confused.

Lilly nodded, and then she was gone.

Before Miley knew it, Lilly was skating down the half-pipe, touching the other side with the tip of her board before heading back her way. It seemed like she was going so fast, and coming at Miley with alarming speed. Miley wanted to scream, but couldn't. As Lilly came closer it became clearer that she wasn't coming directly at Miley, but just a few inches to the left. Miley instantly stretched her left arm, raising her hand like Lilly asked, still unsure of what was going to happen.

The wheels of the board got louder and louder as Lilly approached, and then, nothing. Lilly was in the air, soaring over Miley, spinning, UPSIDE DOWN! And then, Miley felt it.

SLAP!

Lilly high-fived her in mid air as she was sailing over the stunned brunette. Miley thought she felt her heart stop. Then, Lilly's board touched ramp again and she was gone.

Seconds later she was back and Miley was still breathless. "So, how'd you like that?" She asked, confidently.

"That…was fucking amazing!" Miley managed to shout between ragged breaths. "How long did it take you to do that?"

"A couple months…and a lot of bruising…especially on Oliver's forehead." Lilly divulged. Miley laughed at the statement. "I thought you'd like it."

"It was awesome. You're amazing." Miley said, clearly overwhelmed by Lilly's abilities.

Lilly sat down next to Miley, letting her legs dangle over the edge. _She called me amazing…let's see her remember Jake Ryan now! But wait…it doesn't mean what you want it to mean. Minor detail…just enjoy it for now._ They settled into another comfortable silence, just listening to the nearby ocean mixing with the sounds of rolling skate wheels and unintelligible rock music. It was nice.

Then, Miley spoke up. "So…do you wanna know how I got my scar?"

Lilly looked at Miley, surprised. "Uh…what?"

Miley looked down, playing with her hands. "It wasn't a bear attack…or a cougar…or a knife fight…nothing like that. It…it was a drunk driver."

"Oh."

Miley moved some hair behind her ear, fully exposing the permanent memento. "Me and my mom were going to see my dad at his studio. He'd been working long hours there and we were going to surprise him. We were even listening to one of his songs, Achy Breaky Heart, you know it?"

Lilly nodded.

"Anyway…my mom didn't see the guy right away and he hit us head on. I-I don't remember much after that. I remember waking up in the hospital and not being able to see anything but white. My daddy was there though and he had to explain what happened. See…" Miley swallowed hard, her eyes glazing over as she struggled to remember correctly. "When the guy hit us, the windshield kinda exploded. A-and it came inward. It-it cut us up real bad. Nearly tore us to ribbons. I got other scars. Two on this shoulder here." Miley tapped her right shoulder. "And one on my stomach and-and on my legs and my hands." She spread out her hands so Lilly could see better. The scars were tiny and faded. "But none of them were as bad as my face. Dad said it took the doctors 28 hours to get me patched up. And this was as good as it got."

Lilly shook her head, grabbing Miley's hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "Oh Miley…it isn't that bad."

Miley scoffed. "Tell that to anyone whose ever called me a freak…or looked at me like I was the Elephant man."

"You're not the Elephant man." Lilly said, suddenly angered at the thought of Miley being mercilessly teased and harassed for something she couldn't help or prevent. "You're beautiful. Very beautiful."

Lilly looked Miley square in the eye while saying this, and Miley could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and the breath once again escape her lungs. She could feel Lilly's palm becoming moist in her own…could feel the blood pumping through her fingers. _What is she doing…what is she doing…what are we doing…_

_This is it._ Lilly thought as she inched closer, her heart racing at the prospect of what would happen next. She could feel Miley's hot ragged breath on her cheek as she moved in…her lips barely grazing the--

"HEY! WHADDAYA DOING UP THERE!!!"

Immediately the girls parted and Miley ripped her hand from Lilly's grasp. Lilly looked down. It was Joe. He was standing at the base of the half-pipe with his hands on his hips.

"Fuck." Lilly gasped breathlessly. "You scared the shit outta us Joe!" Lilly shouted down to him.

"Yeah well, I'd like to close and go home if you don't mind!" He called back up.

"Sorry!" Lilly shouted back down. _Sorry that you just totally ruined the moment! A moment I __will more than likely never have again JOE!_ "We're coming down now!"

_Was she going to kiss me? Oh my god…she was going to kiss me! And I was going to let her. OH MY GOD I WAS GOING TO LET HER! I wanted it. I WANTED IT! _Miley was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear Lilly's conversation with Joe, and only came around when Lilly tapped her on the shoulder. "WHAT?!?" She shouted, surprised.

Lilly flinched. "Whoa. Sorry. Joe says we have to go. He's closing."

"Oh. Oh!" Miley exclaimed, jumping up. "Let's go then." She rushed down the stairs ahead of Lilly, her mind screaming the entire way.

They met Joe at the bottom, who was looking at his watch impatiently, holding Lilly's duffle bag in his hand. "Finally." He said, but his voice held no anger.

"Sorry Joe." Lilly said as if she had said it a million times before, taking the bag from the owner. "We lost track of time."

Joe started walking toward the exit with Lilly and Miley in tow. _"_I know, I know…I've heard it all before. Why don't I just give you the keys to this place, and you can stay as long as you want and lock up when you leave?"

"That'd be awesome--"

"Oh yeah, now I know why…YOU'D NEVER LEAVE!"

"That might be true." Lilly conceded.

They passed through the open gate, Joe closing it behind them. He threw on the padlock and clicked it shut, throwing his keys in his pocket and exhaling loudly. "Well, I'm going home. Have a good night. It was nice to meet you Miley. Lilly…I'll see you soon."

"Nice to meet you too." Miley mumbled, though her mind was elsewhere.

"'Night Joe." Lilly said, waving as Joe jogged toward his car. She looked at Miley, who looked deep in thought. _Aw crap…I freaked her out. Now she's never going to talk to me again. Lilly…you flippin idiot. When are you ever going to learn to control yourself!?!_

While Lilly was mentally kicking her own ass, Miley was lost in a torrent of thoughts. _She keeps telling me I'm beautiful…and she always holds my hand…and when I'm with her it feels like I'm normal. But I can't kiss a girl! Can I? Would it be wrong? But what about guys? I've always liked guys. Not girls…but Lilly isn't just any girl…she's sweet and funny and so nice…and __beautiful…but I never felt like that for a girl. What about Jake? Jake, Jake, Jake…you think he's hot, so you must like guys…right?_

They slowly began their journey home, each girl lost in their own thoughts. Before they knew it, they were standing in front of Miley's house. They looked at one another, hoping the other would start to say something…anything.

Lilly took the initiative. "Listen Miley I'm sorry about--"

"Oh, no, don't worry about it--"

"I don't know what came over me--"

"I get it, it's okay."

"I want to just forget it ever happened." _No I don't._

"Consider it forgotten." _But it won't be._

Lilly tried her best to smile…it came out awkward. "Okay. So I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Miley nodded. "Absolutely."

"Okay. Good night."

"Night." Miley said and then raced to her front door.

When she got inside, Robbie Ray was sitting on the couch, watching television. He turned his head to greet Miley when she came in. "Hey bud, how was the skate park?"

"Um…interesting."

"Did ya have fun?"

Miley nodded.

"That's good." He studied his daughter for a minute. "Anything happen?"

Miley nodded. "No…n-nothing worth mentioning. Lilly is amazing--ah-uh-I mean she's an amazing skater. Really awesome. I-I think I'm just gonna go to my room. I'm tired."

"Okay. I'll be up in a few." Robbie Ray said, eying his daughter suspiciously.

"All right." Miley shouted, racing up to her room.

When she got there, she kicked her shoes off and plopped down on her bed, her mind still racing. _Can I forget it ever happened? Do I want to? Of course I do! Don't I? I mean…what would be the point in remembering…it really wasn't even anything. She tried to kiss me, she didn't actually kiss me. It would've been my first kiss…and it would've been with a girl. A GIRL! Lilly…it would've been with Lilly. NO JUST FORGET ABOUT IT! It's best if I forget about it. If I don't, things'll get weird and I don't want that. I don't want to lose the one friend I got. No. Just forget it. Forget it…forget it.._

_---------------------------_

_Forget it…forget it…LILLY COME ON! You can do this. True, that's all you wanted to do since you laid eyes on Miley but you shouldn't have. And you DID! And you might have ruined everything with your stupid urges. Can't you learn to control yourself? What if she's so freaked she never speaks to you again? What then? This was a very delicate situation Truscott…a delicate situation you might have just ruined! _

_But it wasn't even a kiss. We barely touched lips…but I'm sure she knew the intent. Oh God…why do I have to be such a spaz? Is it in my nature? Is it completely unavoidable?_

_Okay, listen, calm down…everything will be all right. You'll go there tomorrow and act like nothing has changed. And even if she acts all weird, just keep on keeping on the way you have. Hopefully, she'll move on too. And everything will be perfect again._

_And you'll go back to pining for her secretly the way it's supposed to be…and hopefully you'll make her fall in love with you as time goes on._

_JESUS…who's kidding who here? _


	10. Chapter 9

**_Author's note: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. I have no reasonable excuse except for lack of free time. But know, the story is always in the back of my mind. I am always planning, plotting, thinking of new chapters and storyline twists…which I hope will come to fruition faster than I think is possible. If only to please you guys of course. _**

**_I wanted to take special notice of a certain reviewer. Believe me, I love all of everyone's reviews, but this particular individual's comments struck me. They were so detailed…it was as if this reviewer were having a personal conversation with me. And, if I'm not mistaken, it was done with every chapter! So, in-betweens, I would like to publicly thank you for your wonderfully detailed reviews. I am so glad that you like the story so much and so happy you find it interesting enough to review. _**

**_Thanks again. _**

**_Now, what you've been waiting for. I hope you enjoy. _**

Chapter 9

"…and I know, and I know, I don't wanna stay…" Oliver mumble/sang as he flipped through his reading assignment. Shakespeare was completely unreadable to him, as in he couldn't read a damn word of it. The backwards way in which those people talked was ridiculous. It was like trying to decode word jumbles all night long. RIDICULOUS! But he had to read it so he could at least tell the teacher he tried. So, he decided to put on some Pearl Jam and thumb through it, expecting nothing more than he had gotten before…which was utter confusion and frustration.

He was sitting up on his bed with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankle, his socked-foot unconsciously bouncing along to the beat when he heard a tap at his bedroom window. He looked up.

It was Lilly. She looked upset.

He threw his book down and hopped up, walking quickly toward the window. He had no idea how Lilly managed to climb to the second floor and stand in front of his window. There was no tree, only a trellis that went half way. After that was a loose drain pipe and about an inch-wide ledge that Lilly seemed to be able to shimmy across without falling off. He opened the window and looked at his wristwatch. "It's ten thirty, what are you doing here?"

Lilly grabbed Oliver's arm and climbed in, rushing past him to pace around his bedroom. "I almost kissed her."

"Who?"

"I think I freaked her out!"

"Who?" Oliver asked again, watching Lilly frantically pace his room.

"Why can't I control myself! She's gonna hate me!"

"WHO!" Oliver shouted, grabbing Lilly by the shoulders, stopping her nervous movement.

"Miley." Lilly whispered, frowning. She plopped down on his bed. "Oliver what am I gonna do?"

Oliver plopped down next to her, his mouth twisting as he thought. "Are you sure you freaked her out?"

Lilly nodded. "I could see it on her face. She tried to hide it but I saw it…she probably thinks I'm disgusting!" She flopped back on Oliver's bed, beating her head with her hand.

Oliver turned to face her. "How do you know? What if she just freaked out because she liked it?"

"I didn't actually kiss her…I almost kissed her. Are you even listening!"

"I am. Lils, look, I'd be pretty freaked if the girl I met YESTERDAY was coming on to me…"

"Liar."

Oliver looked at Lilly for a second. "Okay…I am. But I'm also no Miley or a girl. Do you even know if Miley is gay or bi…or whatever?"

Lilly shook her head. "I didn't want for it to happen. It just did!"

"But nothing happened.

"BUT IT ALMOST HAPPENED!" Lilly shouted, covering her face with her hands, screaming in frustration.

"Okay…look, this almost kiss," Oliver stated using air quotes, "is a molehill. Don't make a mountain out of it. Go home, get some sleep. Things will look better in the morning."

Lilly shot up. "Seriously…that's it? That's all I'm getting out of you!?!"

"What did you expect? Nothing major happened Lilly. You're stressing over nothing."

"I ALMOST KISSED HER!"

Oliver shrugged. "Well…horseshoes and hand grenades."

"What?!?" Lilly asked, clearly having not calmed down.

"Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades…haven't you ever heard that before?"

"No--what does that even--listen, I don't have time for this--I have to call Miley and--" Lilly stood, ready to exit, but Oliver grabbed her by the arm.

"No! Don't call her! If she's as freaked as you say she is, a phone call from you isn't going to help." He said, standing as well.

"THEN WHAT IS!"

"Nothing! Doing nothing. Just give her some time to think things through. Jesus, how many times do I have to say it! Give her the night to think. Things will be better in the morning, trust me."

"How do you know?"

"Honestly Lil, I don't know, but it won't hurt to try, right?"

Lilly looked at Oliver, processing all that he said. After a few seconds of silence, she threw her head into his chest, sighing loudly in frustration. Oliver wrapped his arms around her, hugging her. "Hey, look at it this way…Even if she does stop talking to you, you'll still have me!"

Lilly looked up at Oliver, who gave her a goofy grin. "What…did I do to deserve a friend like you?" She asked flatly.

"Just lucky I guess." He said, squeezing her tight, lifting her up.

"Ugghh." She groaned as he squeezed the life out of her for a moment before releasing. Bear hugs were always Oliver's symbol for closure after a long, emotional conversation. "All right. Thanks buddy." Lilly grumbled, grabbing her back.

She headed back toward the window with Oliver in tow. "Remember, give her tonight to think about it. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT call her. Got me?"

"Loud and clear." Lilly mumbled, stepping out of the window, onto the tiny ledge. "Good night."

"Night." Oliver said and Lilly began to shimmy toward the drain pipe. "Oh wait!"

Lilly turned her head sharply toward him. "What?"

Oliver's smile turned devilish. "What kind of kiss were you going for? A lil innocent on the lips…or full on hot, sweaty, make-out?"

Lilly scowled in disgust. "You pervert."

"Come on…just wanted to get the full visual to help assess the situation better!"

"Sick! You're sick!" She said, sliding down the wobbly drain pipe to the trellis.

"You love me!"

"You wish!"

Oliver smiled and closed the window. "And now…back to Shakespeare…ugh." He grumbled, grabbing the book from the floor as he resumed his position on the bed.

------------------------------------------------------

Lilly begrudgingly did as she was told, even though she had wanted to call Miley all night…and wound up getting close to two hours total of sleep that night. She felt like a zombie the next day. She moved so slow that by the time she got ready and got to Miley's house, the girl was already leaving.

Miley hadn't had that much sleep either, thinking about Lilly. Did she want to be more than friends with the blonde? Was it too soon anyway? What would it be like to kiss her? Did she even want that? What were these weird feelings she got every time Lilly complimented her, or smiled at her…or how much she was missed when she wasn't around. Would she tell her father, and what about people at school? These questions haunted Miley until she fell asleep, which was only four short hours before she had to get up.

In the morning, however, things became a little clearer. She had come to the conclusion that although it would be interesting to go with Lilly, it might be best if they forgot about the whole thing…for the time being.

When Lilly didn't show up to breakfast the next day, Miley thought the worst. As she was leaving for school, she hoped that she would run into Lilly on the way, just to apologize, if nothing else.

It looked as though fate was on her side, though. "Hey." Lilly said, slowly jogging up to Miley.

"Hey…you look terrible." Miley greeted her blonde friend.

Lilly rolled her red, tired eyes. "Thanks. I was up all night worrying that I had freaked you out or something."

Miley's heart jumped. _She was worried about me! So much that she didn't sleep all night! _She decided to lie. "Oh, I was fine. I wasn't freaked out at all. I swear."

"You sure?" Lilly said suspiciously. She might have been tired…but that didn't mean she couldn't remember the hollowed-out look on Miley's face last night…and the weird look she had at the moment.

She was too exhausted to keep things going. She bowed her head in defeat. "I think we should just forget it and move on."

"I-I-It's already forgotten. D-don't worry about it." Miley stumbled over her words. It would be best if they just went on like normal…well, normal as one can go for new friendships.

Normally, it would've been easy to just disintegrate the friendship then and there. They had only known each other for two days. For anyone else in a situation like this, it would've been easy to walk away, and become those people who nod "hellos" when passing in the hallway, moving on to other things. Logically, two days simply isn't enough time to form a bond, and yet Miley and Lilly somehow did. It was instant, even if the girls themselves hadn't realized it yet. They did, however, realize that avoiding one another was out of the question. Miley was too desperate for a friend…and Lilly was too drawn to the shy southern girl who stole her heart.

So, as they walked to school in silence, but side by side, Miley and Lilly both mentally vowed to press on as if nothing had happened. And the last few moments in the skate park became a distant foggy dream…one that nagged at the back of the head, but wouldn't allow itself to be revealed. And even though neither girl would dare admit it to the other, they both secretly wanted to discover that dream, and make it a reality.

And it stayed that way for three months straight…

_**Author's note: Yes, I did say three months! We're skipping ahead a bit, but don't worry, nothing important happened during that time, I assure you. Haha. I'm doing this to move the story along. It's true, the girls were taking it slow, but I'm impatient and snail's pace is too slow even for the writer. It's not to say that I'm going to throw them right into a relationship now. No. But there are going to be some big changes in the story. Ones that up until a while ago I didn't even see coming. It's going in the same direction with a few tweaks here and there. I think it'll make for a very interesting experience for me and for you. Bear with me, eh? Thanks. :)**_


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